A somewhat-regular sharing of the dialogue that God and I are having through Scripture, as pastor of Palmdale UMC (http://www.pumchurch.com/).

Monday, February 1, 2016

Perspective

[From December 28, 2015]

"And so it was that all were brought safely to land."

(Acts 27:44b)

One sentence. A simple comment. Actually, a statement. The kind we make all the time. And yet, filled with such depth of faith. Paul is being transported form Caesarea to Rome. That seemingly simple statement sounds so nonchalant. And yet the reality is incredible.

Fourteen weeks at sea. Two ships. Numerous storms. Jettisoning cargo. Fear of death. Potential escape thwarted. Almost killed by the guards. Their own "last supper" type meal. Shipwrecked. Swimming to shore. Incredible journey! It's the stuff entire movies are made of. And Paul concludes by saying, "And so it was that all were brought safely to land." Wow. What a perspective!

If you would have asked anyone on that ship with Paul, at various stages of their journey, how they were feeling or what was taking place, I'm guessing they would NOT have said, "We're moving toward safety." Nope. Panic... fear... uncertainty... discouragement, yet. But moving towards safety? Not in the least.

But Paul had a different perspective. Granted, Acts was penned some time AFTER the events took place. So time helped grant him some wisdom. Nonetheless, this speaks volumes to me. Oftentimes when I'm in the midst of a challenging or difficult situation, I focus on the negative (don't we all?). Or at least on the obstacles in my way. But this challenged me to not be so quick to rush to judgment. Paul looked at the bigger picture: GOD WAS BRINGING THEM TO SAFETY! It didn't look like that most of the stages along the way. But it was!

Sometimes we need to take a step back from the situation we're in and ask the question: What is God doing through all of this? We need a new perspective. A holy vision. Maybe we can't see it "in the moment." But if we withhold judgment, we might just be surprised at what we find.

PRAYER: Lord, give me a bigger vision. Help me to see a fraction of how You see what I'm going through. Keep me from rushing quickly to judgment. Instead, let me put my hope and trust in You. For I know that You are working for good in my life and in the world! AMEN.

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SCRIPTURE JOURNALING

Some of the best "divine inspiration" can come when we read the Bible on a regular basis. A few years ago I discovered the gift of reading the Bible devotionally - reading not to "get through" a particular book or passage, but rather to listen for a word from God. I've come to call this scripture journaling.

The process is simple, and I like using the SOAP acronym:S - SCRIPTURE... record one verse (or portion of a verse) that God used to speak to you during your reading...

O - OBSERVATION... Make an observation about what this scripture seems to be saying about God, us, life, etc.

A - APPLICATION... How does this apply to your life personally? What insight does this give you? How will you be different today because of what you've just read?

P - PRAYER... Write a short prayer as a response to God for what has just been revealed to you through scripture.

It's as simple as that! You can find the reading plan that we use at Palmdale UMC on our website (http://pumchurch.com/im-new/scripture-journaling)... but you can do this with any reading plan. The main point is finding time to spend with God through the life-giving power of the Bible! My daily blog entries come directly from my own scripture journaling. I hope it may encourage you to start this life-changing practice!

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About Me

I'm the pastor of Palmdale United Methodist Church in the Antelope Valley of California. I began serving this congregation in July 2015. I graduated from Waiakea High School on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1986... received my undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Hawaii ('90)... and my MDiv from Drew Theological School ('94). I've served 3 UMC congregations in Hawaii before coming to California.
You can listen to and read my sermons on our church website (www.pumchurch.com) - click on sermons...